Myth of Voter Fraud

It is important to protect the integrity of our elections. But we must be careful not to undermine free and fair access to the ballot in the name of preventing voter fraud.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly, and falsely, claimed millions voted illegally. Yet examination after examination of voter fraud claims reveal fraud is very rare, voter impersonation is nearly non-existent, and much of the problems associated with alleged fraud relates to unintentional mistakes by voters or election administrators. Election officials and leaders of the president’s own party also agree fraud is not widespread.

The Brennan Center's seminal report "The Truth About Voter Fraud" conclusively demonstrated most allegations of fraud turn out to be baseless — and that of the few allegations remaining, most reveal election irregularities and other forms of election misconduct. And numerous other studies have reached the same conclusion.

Voter fraud is not acceptable in our elections, but we must find solutions that address actual problems instead of imposing policies that make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to participate in our democracy.

For years, the Brennan Center has collected research showing that voter fraud is extraordinarily rare. We've reviewed the literature on one subset of voter fraud claims — the allegation that ineligible noncitizens are voting in large numbers.

Donald Trump has made repeated claims that millions voted illegally in 2016. This rhetoric around voter fraud has been debunked in study after study. Election officials and leaders of the president’s own party have spoken out against these false claims.

A decade ago, the Justice Department was upended by scandal after investigations revealed it wielded its power to disenfranchise voters. As the new president threatens investigations into voter fraud, mistakes of the past give concern for the future.

Recent Research

Brennan Center findings dismantle a key resource that Trump’s "Election Integrity" Commission relies on to justify baseless claims — by President Trump and some of the panel’s members — of rampant voter fraud.

The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity's vice chair, Kris Kobach, is one of the nation’s leading advocates for documentary proof of citizenship laws. They have been shown to keep thousands from the polls.

Recent Commentary

The Department of Homeland Security should remain focused on bolstering the security of our elections and preventing foreign actors from interfering in our democracy, rather than investing resources in proving something we know to be false.

The Brennan Center and co-counsel filed suit in federal court challenging Texas's strict photo voter ID law on behalf of the Texas State Conference of the NAACP and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus of the Texas House of Representatives (MALC).

Featured Publication

Brennan Center findings dismantle a key resource that Trump’s "Election Integrity" Commission relies on to justify baseless claims — by President Trump and some of the panel’s members — of rampant voter fraud.